The Defence Headquarters has dismissed report of an alleged massacre by the military in Konshisha area of Benue, following the killing of 11 troops by bandits. The Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, described the report as spurious and misleading. Nwachukwu explained that there had been incessant cases of communal clashes in recent times among the people of Konshisha and Oju on boundary demarcation. He said that as part of efforts to resolve the crisis, the Benue government held meetings with stakeholders in local governments with a view to providing solution to the problem. According to him, appreciable progress has been made and a final date fixed for all stakeholders to meet in the disputed areas to demarcate the boundary. “Trouble started on the eve of the final meeting during Easter holiday with reports that fresh fighting has broken out in the area. “All along, 72 Special Forces Battalion has troops deployed on the Oju side of the boundary and troops of the battalion were on their way to replenish their colleagues on April 5, when they were attacked by bandits attend Bonta in Konshisha. “The troops who were under command of a captain were seized at a checkpoint mounted by the so called Bonta Boys and taken into Konshisha forest where they were all brutally murdered. “Not satisfied with killing the soldiers, the bandits proceeded to burn all the eleven soldiers and their officer beyond recognition while their weapons and ammunition were carted away,” he said. The defence spokesperson disclosed that military reinforcements that were dispatched to Bonta the following morning also came under attack from close to 500 armed youths who had fully occupied Bonta at the time. He said that the number of youths involved in the attacks suggested that the bandits could not be from Bonta alone, but were joined by bandits from other parts of Konshisha. He said that the troops repelled the attack after more than four hours of intense fighting during which military helicopter provided close air support to ground troops. According to him, 10 bandits are killed during the fight with the rifle of one of the Killed in action soldiers recovered from the bandits who fell casualty during the exchange of fire. He said that there were no other civilian casualties in any part of Konshisha till date, apart from the initial 10 bandits eliminated by the troops. Nwachukwu however, challenged anybody from Konshisha to present to the public the bodies of innocent persons, male, female or children allegedly killed by troops in the area. According to him, there was never a massacre as being touted by some mischief makers. Nwachukwu also stated that bandits that escaped from Bonta withdrew into neighbouring villages where they kept on attacking troops as they continued with the search operation through Bonta into other parts of Konshisha. According to him, knowing the implications of killing troops in cold blood, most of the villagers have fled their homes which are occupied by armed bandits who are firing at troops from the settlements as they advanced into Konshisha. He said that troops repelled the attacks and destroyed the houses and other buildings which the criminals used as hideouts for the attacks. “The use of abandoned settlements by armed bandits to attack troops is popular with insurgents. “The aim is to draw military fire into the dwellings and then turn round to blame soldiers for the destruction. “This is common guerilla tactics armed bandit designed to whip up public sentiment against security forces and this is what played out in Konshisha. “This accounts for some of the burnt houses being reported in the press,” he said. Nwachukwu further noted that some of the phones of the dead soldiers were also tracked to some of the settlements, saying that bandits should be blamed for the destruction since they used these settlements as hideout for attacks. He said it would be wrong to blame soldiers who were in Konshisha on legitimate duties when some of them were killed. He added that some of the buildings being paraded were actually burnt during earlier communal clashes between Konshisha and Oju. The spokesperson said that the soldiers deployed to Konshisha displayed commendable restraints by adhering to the rules of engagement in the face of unprovoked attacks. He said that military would ensure that the local leaders of Konshisha must bring the main actors responsible for the mayhem to security forces to face justice in addition to the return of all carted away weapons and all other weapons in their possession. “The military will not tolerate the jungle justice attitude and dastardly acts leading to the gruesome murder of patriotic soldiers on legitimate duty to keep the peace. “We look forward to working with the Benue government in its promise to support security forces in fishing out those fomenting trouble in Konshisha. “Once again, there is no massacre in Konshisha and the stories making the rounds are fabricated by bandits and their sponsors to smear the military after killing troops,” he said.(NAN)

A soldier has refuted the claim that the military killed over 70 innocent persons in Benue State. At a press conference on Friday, the people of Mbator in Shangev-Tiev of Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue State, said while more than 70 innocent persons were killed, 100 got missing during aerial and ground bombardments by troops. The villagers appealed to the Federal Government to order the military to halt the killings, saying they are planning to storm more villages. Daily Trust had reported how the military invaded the communities after 11 soldiers were killed in an ambush. Contacted to comment on the villagers’ allegation, Major General Adeyemi Yekini, Force Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), referred our correspondent to the Media unit of the Defence Headquarters in Abuja. But a soldier, who pleaded anonymity, dismissed the claim of the villagers, challenging them to substantiate the claim. He told our correspondent that the soldiers killed belonged to the 72 battalion, Special Forces of the Nigerian Army. The soldier said apart from 12 militia “neutralised on Wednesday”, no one else has been killed”. He said rifles of the deceased soldiers were recovered from the suspects who were shot dead. “Those claiming that 70 persons were killed by the soldiers should prove it with the dead bodies or show us the graves where they were buried. Where are the dead bodies.” Governor Samuel Ortom has asked the villagers who seized the weapons of the military to return them. Ortom Dismisses Claim Soldiers Killed 70 In Benue Benue governor Samuel Ortom has dismissed claims by Shangev-Tiev Assembly that over 70 persons have been killed in Konshisha Local Government Area of the state. Ortom also said that three of the weapons seized from the military by armed militia in Konshisha has been recovered. The governor made the remark while addressing journalists at the Government House in Makurdi on Friday over the development in Konshisha area. He explained that eight persons including two bandits who had exchanged fire with the soldiers were caught and killed, a handicapped man died after his destroyed house collapsed on him, and a middle-aged woman fell while running and died amongst four others. “That is the report I got from the chairman. So, I’m taken aback to hear that an unknown group held a press conference and said 70 people were killed. “I wish to call on the people to restrain themselves from making unguarded and unverified statement. This will not help matter. You will only succeed in aggravating the matter. You will only succeed in pouring petrol on an existing fire and you know the implications. “The security men you know especially the soldiers of if they were not here, we will not be here today. Herdsmen, local bandits would have consumed us,” he said. Ortom however appealed to the military for restraint in the ongoing effort to recover their weapons so as to prevent the loss of more innocent lives in the affected communities, adding that a report from the Konshisha Council Chairman indicated that there was no operation on Friday. The governor disclosed that out of the weapons seized from the military by youths of the area, three had been recovered while he had directed the Local Government Chairman, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to see that the remaining arms are recovered. Ortom further stressed that eight people, including militia members were killed during the military operation and appealed to those fuelling the crisis in the media to desist from the act and support the government to find lasting peace in the area. Answering questions from journalists, Ortom said the deployment of soldiers to the warring communities of Konshisha and Oju was in compliance with President Muhammadu Buhari’s order to security agencies to shoot on sight, anyone in possession of illegal weapons. The governor further sympathised with victims of the crisis and assured the people that his administration will ensure that no more lives are lost just as he assured that the Benue State Government will ensure the demarcation of the boundary between Bonta community of Konshisha and Okpute in Oju to put the dispute to rest. Ortom maintained, “I’m on top of the situation and monitoring it. I have not slept for the past three days ensuring several interventions. So, we do not want any situation that will amplify the one we already have. If anyone has any evidence contrary to what the chairman told me, he should bring it out instead of making inflammatory statements.”

Security operatives have been deployed in Ama Awusa, a settlement dominated by northerners in Owerri, Imo State capital. This is as a result of the widespread attacks on some northerners in the South-East. Security operatives have been deployed in Ama Awusa, a settlement dominated by northerners in Owerri, Imo State capital. This is as a result of the widespread attacks on some northerners in the South-East. Where are the dead bodies? soldier rejects claim that 70 persons were killed in Benue Tension in Benue community as 10 missing soldiers are found dead Last week, seven traders of northern extraction were murdered in Orlu town and Umuaka in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo. On Friday, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Hope Uzodimma on Gender and Vulnerable Persons (men), Sulaiman Ibrahim Sulaiman, told Daily Trust that adequate security had been provided to prevent further attacks. Sulaiman, who is also the Garkwa Hausa (Shield of Hausa community), said the people have been sensitised on the need to live in peace with their neighbours. He said the people are not contemplating to carry out reprisal, especially on the recent killing of seven traders as they have taken it as an act of God. “We have taken everything as the will of Allah. To Him we come and to Him we shall return. Some of us have been here for decades. Even our grandparents were here over 150 years ago. So we see yourselves as indigenes of the state and so there is no need to fight or create recriminations between us,” he said. Sulaiman advised those in the North threatening attack on Igbo interests in the North not to play into the hands of politicians who are not happy when there is peace in the country.